The Pentagon has launched an investigation into how a shipment of F-35 fighter jet parts traveling from overseas to the United States was diverted, prompting active efforts by the military to retrieve them.
A defense official confirmed the incident, stating that the F-35 Joint Program Office and the Department of War are aware of a shipment issue involving unserviceable F-35 Lightning II components. The parts were in transit to the U.S. from Australia for either replacement or repair when the diversion occurred. A source briefed on the matter indicated that the shipment was diverted to Hong Kong, while separate reports suggested the parts have fallen into China's hands, although the Pentagon has declined to confirm this detail.
"We are actively working with U.S. authorities and industry partners to retrieve these components, investigate the incident, and place safeguards to avoid a future occurrence," the defense official said in a statement. The F-35A Lightning II represents the most advanced fighter jet in the U.S. military's arsenal, capable of flying up to 1,200 miles per hour and carrying an 18,000-pound payload.
It remains unclear whether U.S. officials raised the issue of the missing components during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit with President Donald Trump on Thursday. However, military issues were almost certainly on the agenda. President Xi was anticipated to press President Trump to scale back U.S. support for Taiwan, demanding a halt to all arms sales to the self-governed island and opposition to Taiwanese independence. Such a shift would effectively dismantle the long-standing U.S. policy of strategic ambiguity, under which Washington refuses to explicitly state whether it would intervene militarily if China attacked Taiwan.
Meanwhile, congressional pressure on Taiwan policy has intensified. On Wednesday, Republican Senators Mitch McConnell, John Cornyn, and Lisa Murkowski sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The senators questioned why the State Department had not obligated $300 million in foreign military financing approved by Congress for 2026, and why the Defense Department failed to provide Taiwan with $1 billion appropriated for security cooperation. They also demanded explanations for why the administration has not approved $14 billion in military sales to Taiwan passed by Congress earlier this year.
In their letter, the senators emphasized that these appropriations "are critical to the kind of deterrence by denial that will prevent conflict." They added that "it is especially confusing that the Administration would withhold approval of the very arms purchases it aggressively pushed Taiwan to make."
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